Small Unused Space = Shoe Closet of My Dreams!....

Before you look at this video, I must warn you, this is no easy job. My wonderful boyfriend recognized my shoe addiction and lack of space to accommodate it, and he did something about it. This is a very advanced solution to filling in those unused spaces with additional storage...

 

For those of you using Apple products and can't view the video, here are the pictures... 

 

There was a 14 inch space between my clothing wardrobe in our bedroom and the side wall. It was definitely space that was being wasted. My boyfriend installed drawer racks one the side wall and side of the wardrobe that we purchased at www.homedepot.com . He cut pieces of wood with installed molding on each of them as the drawer fronts to give a more expensive look. Knobs were added to make opening easy. Each shelf holds 4 pairs of shoes and he was able to get 8 drawers in. I color coordinated the shoes and now it's, after seeing him, the second thing that makes me so happy every morning!

An alternate idea is to install a few tension rods you can purchase at www.walmart.com for just a few dollars. Use them to hang additional clothing in the space, or hang necklaces or belts. You can cut a curtain in half and use a tension rod at the top to hang as a door if you are attempting to do it yourself and don't have the woodworking skills.

This is just one of many ideas of how you can use the space you have, and organize in a way that maximizes that space.

Chili Pots and Frying Pans and Skillets, OH MY!....

Where to put them? I admit, I probably have every kitchen utensil, pot and small cooking appliance imaginable. They are my weakness, so I'm limited on the space that I have to put all my pots and pans in the cabinets...

Solution: I've always loved hanging pot racks! They are such a great space saver, as well as a nice decorative addition to your kitch. They also just seem to make me want to cook more, eat out less, polish my pots better and they definitely make me keep my kitchen cleaner! No more crowded cabinets. I found these stainless steel racks at www.ikea.com for less than $26 ($9.99 for each rack and $2.99 for each 5/pack of hooks). Amazing deal and they look great!

Rug Me The Right Way.....

I think a great rug is a good starting point to build a room around.  You don't have to spend a fortune when there are sites like www.overstock.com and www.rugsusa.com where you can find great bargains. The key is to make sure that you will be able to accessorize the rug you choose. The room can be simple and beautiful like the one above. You can also get a plain rug that you can later accentuate with bright patterned couch pillows or artwork. Just make sure that the rug color you select is a color that you will be happy with in your room's color palet. It's also helpful if you know it's a color you can find a pillow or a table accessory to compliment it with. I love a print rug, I also love a print pillow, but if you are going to put them together, they have to really work.

Eye Soars....

The AC Unit in our place lies behind a full sized door uniquely placed in the middle of the wall in our hall, about 2 feet off the floor. It reminds me of something out of Alice In Wonderland and I had to do something about it....

I found this extra-large canvas picture at a local Ross Store for $39. I decided to make it a part of my picture wall. Now it is no longer an eye soar, but instead, one of my favorite art pieces in the house!

High heels and hockey bags are colliding as the boyfriend moves in....

Last year my boyfriend moved in and we were immediately faced with the fact that I already had a fully furnished home, but he had furniture too. So, how do you make it work? And even bigger, how am I going to give up my closet space?! I immediately posted an ad on www.craigslist.com entitled "My boyfriend is moving in and thinks I'm a hoarder, come buy my stuff...garage sale!" I had a ton of people come out to the sale, referencing how the post caught their eye and how they thought it was hilarious. We were able to get rid of items that we both decided we didn't need, extra TV units, extra couches, our extra vacuum we no longer needed, etc. It has been a work in progress, but the more that you can purge together, the more room you have to grow together. Since that time, we have combined our lives so that each room is made up of things we have kept or found together. With this comes more compromise than probably either one of us would've thought we could make, but our home is now something that we both made together and we are very proud of. It's now the perfect combination of high heels and hockey bags.

Move in tip- Make a project together that will act as a centerpiece for a room in your home. We opted to build a funky mirror for our living room. We had been to many stores looking to find the right accent mirror, but everything we found was over a thousand dollars. After finding a beautiful one we loved at Z Gallerie, we decided we would try to build one like it ourselves. We first drew up the design, then my boyfriend (being the crafty man that he is) figured out how to build a sturdy frame that would hold the mirrors we would glue on. The frame had to be light enough not to be overwhelmingly heavy once the mirrors were added. We collected the wood, screws, hooks, silver spray paint for the wood and cement glue at Home Depot, then bought square mirrors of 3 different sizes at Hobby Lobby and Lowes. The mirrors cost from $3-$5 a piece. My boyfriend built the frame and attached the wall hooks. We both helped to spray paint it and then I laid out the mirror design, glued them to the wood and...VOILA!

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We are so proud of the project that we built together at a cost of $120

Upholstered Headboards...

A friend asked me what would be a a great way to make her bedroom look more luxurious. An upholstered headboard always makes the room look more expensive to me...

I purchased my upholstered headboard on www.hsn.com where you can find beautiful options from

Nate Berkus and Jonathan Adler starting at $399 seen below

 

http://www.hsn.com/cnt/search/searchresults/default.aspx?Ntt=upholstered+headboard&N=0&Ntk=Std&st=2&criteria=&days=&minprice=&maxprice=&srchCatNm=&o=bsearch

How To Pick a TV Cabinet....

My best friend is getting ready to move into her new apartment in New York City this week and she asked me to help her find the right TV cabinet for her livingroom. She selected Benjamin Moore Dior Gray as her wall color... http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/diorgray .

I suggest a bright white TV cabinet that will really pop off of the dark wall.

You can achieve this look with an affordable option, like this one from IKEA for only $290...

A Pop of Color... 

A pop of color, like a vibrant purple or a hint of orange, can pop when added against a soft gray wall...

Design Me Rich....

The goal of my blog is to show that you don't need a lot of money to decorate your life. True design can come from that amazing bowl you found at a yard sale, an old piece of artwork that use to hang in your grandmother's livingroom, or the pillows you made from that fabulous fabric sample you found for $5 at your local Jo-Ann Fabrics. Beauty is everywhere, and not only the rich have it available to them. If you really be creative, you can create a brilliant space for your home on the budget you can afford. I'm here to inspire you with the gems that I've found for my home, and help you to build your own castle on a minimal budget. I hope you enjoy my ideas!